Baseball game board



July "21; 1925.

H. A. BENEDICT r BASEBALL GAME BOARD Filed Sept. 1, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /A! VENT 0R.

H.11 Bzzvsnrar July 21, 1925. 1,546,962

7 H. A. BENEDICT BASEBALL GAME BOARD Filed Sept. 1., 1922. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v VE/l TOR .H. A BENEDIGT endless carrier.

9 hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my Patented July 21, 1 925.

UNITED STATES 1,546,962 PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY BENEDICT, F DES MOINES, IOWA.-

BASEBALL GAME BOARD.

Application filed September 3 To all whom it may concern:

" sentative of and including movements corresponding to those employed in baseball.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved bulletin device for visually indicating the results of a baseball game.

' plays.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved game board including a representation of a baseball diamond, an endless carrier adapted for travel on lines connecting the bases, miniature figures representing the various players, and means for removably and replaceably mounting such figures at the several stations andon said A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for manually op erating the endless carrier. A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for mounting the figure players removably and replaceably at the several playing stations and on the endless carrier.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for indicating the 7 With these and other objects inview, my invention consists in, the construction, arrangement and combination of elements claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in wl1ich I Figural isa plan view of my improved game board. Figures 2 and 3 are side and edge View respectively of one of the figure players and one of the clips on the endless carrier, on anlenlarged scale. Figure 4: is a bottom plan View of the game board show.- ing the operating mechanism for the endless. carrier. Figure 5 is a detail section on the line 5 5' of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a plan view of the play indicating means.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates generally a board having fen its lower face, adjacent its margins, a"'peri'pheral frieze 11. An endless 1, 1922. Serial N0. 585,788.

groove 011 slot 12 is formed in the board 10, and as shown, forconvenience in manufacture, assembly and repair, the slot 12 extends entirely. through the board and divides it into an infield member and an outfield member. The slot 12 is square in plan and has at its four corners the reprcsentation of the four bases of a baseball diamond, namely the home base 13, first base 14: second base 15 and third base 16. Roll.-

ers or pulleys 17 are located at the respective corners of the diamond, at the four bases,and are pivoted on vertical axes, as on cleats 18 fixed to the lower surface of the board. Other cleats 19 are employed, extending across the slot 12 on the lower face of the board 10, and forming a separable connection between the infield and outfield portions of the board as divided by the slot 12. The rollers or pulleys 17 are countersunk in the board in openings communicating with the slot 12, and indicated by the numerals 20. An endless carrier, in this instance a belt 21-, is mounted for travel in the slot 12 and around the rollers or pulleys 17 compassing in its travel the circuit of the bases.

Clips 22 are provided and are mounted rigidly on the board 10 in various locations to represent generally the various playing stations, such as catcher .23, first base 14, second base 15, third base 16, pitcher 24-, short stop 25, right fielder 26, center fielder 27 and left fielder 28. Each clip 22 comprises a fiatpiece of thin metal adapted to be secured at one margin to the board,as by tacks 29 and having a pair of parallel slits formed and opening to the opposite margin to produce a tongue 30 bent upward- 1y slightly from the body of the clip. clips 31 are provided and are attached to the belt 21 at spaced intervals, four of such clips preferably being provided and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distance between two of the bases of the diamond. Each clip 31 comprises a fiat piece of thin metal formed with downwardly projecting tongues 32, 33 spaced apart and adapted to engage opposite sides of the belt 21 and hold the clip thereon. lhe clip 31 is formed with spaced slits opening to.

one margin to produce an upwardly bent tongue 34. A quantity of figure players are provided, at least enough to represent all of the players on two full ball teams. Each figure player 35 is formed with an Other upright body portion formed and ornamented inany desired manner to represent the player, and a horizontally extending flange 36 of metal atthe lower end of said body portion, adapted to be engaged frictionally between the tongue 30 or 34 and the body portion of a clip 22 or 1, whereby the figure player may be mounted, removably and replaceably and in upright position,at any of the several stations or at any of the locations on the belt 21.

Suitable means is provided for causing travel of the belt 21 intermittently and to any desired extent or distance. The home base roller or pulley 17 preferably is provided with a suitable frictional facing 37 engaged by the belt to cause said belt to travel when said roller is rotated, and a pinion 38 is fixed to the .haft of this rol er, the roller also being fixed to the shaft. A bracket 39 is carried by the lower face of the board 10 aujacent the home base roller and a shaft 4-0 is journaled therein, in upright position, a drum 41 and gear 4-2 being ixed to said shaft. The bracket 39 is pivoted on av screw'43 seated in the board, for movement of the shaft 40 through a short are, the position being such that normally the gear 42 is out of mesh with the pinion 38 but may be brought into mesh therewith at times. A bell-crank lever 44 is fulcrumed on another bracket 45 car ried by the frieze 11, and said bell-crank has one arm flexibly connected, by a link 46, to the bracket 39. The opposite arm of the bell-crank 44 is pivotally connected to a headed plunger 47 extending through slide bearings 48 and projecting through the board 10. The plunger 47 is adapted to be depressed by manual force applied to its head to cause an oscillation of the bellcrank 44, and through the link 46 an oscillation of the pivoted bracket 39 to the end of bringing the gear 42 into operative eng'agemcnt with the pinion 88. A tape 49 is fixed at one end to and partially wound on the drum 41 and has its other end portion extended laterally through a slot in the frieze 11 and provided with a ring 50 or the like to facilitate manual draft thereon, as well as to prevent accidental displace ment of the end of the tape through said slot. The tape 49 may engage a direction pulley 51. p1voted on the lower face of the board 10, as shown in Figure 4. A cord 52 also is fixed at one end to and adapted to be wound on the drum 41 and the opposite end of said cord is attached to a retractile member 53 such as a spring or rubber, securedat its opposite end to the diametrically opposite corner of the board 10. as at the point 54. The cord 52 is wound oppositely on the drum 41 from the wind ingof the tape 49, and when draft is applied to said tape to unwind itfrom the drum, the effect is to wind the cord thereon and place the retractile member 58 under greater tension; and when draft force is released from said tape the power stored in said member 53 acts'to cause a reverse rotation of the drum to wind the tape thereon. The arrangement is such that when draft is applied to the tape 50 manually, the plunger first having been depressed manually and held in depressed position while the tape is operated, the belt 21 is caused to move counterclockwise in the slot 12, carrying with it the clips 81 and any of the figure players 35 which may be mounted thereon at the time. The amount of draft is gauged, preferably, to cause the belt to travel each operation approximately one-fourth of the circuit, thus carrying the figure players thereon from one base to the next; and if it is desired to cause said figure players to advance more than one station, two or more successive pulls are given the tape, the plunger 47 being released between such successive pulls to permit disengagement the gear 42 from the pinion 38, so that the belt is not caused to move reversely. At all times, pressure on the plunger is released before draft is released on the tape.

in Figure 6 I have'illustrated a means which ray be employed to indicate the plays. This comprises a base having an indicating pointer 56 pivoted at 57 thereon and adapted to be spun manually in a common manner. The face of the base member 55 is subdivided, as by radiating lines, into spaces lettered to indicate different plays which may occur, those shown in the drawing being merely illustrative of what may be employed. The players may spin successively and place their figure players on the board to correspond, and cause them to make the movements indicated by the pointer 56. At times the pointer may stop at a position to indicate a play which is not pertinent at the time, in which event another trial maybe taken. It is obvious that rules and regulations may be adopted for the game which will make it very interesting and simulate closely the succession of plays in the ordinary outdoor ball game. The game thus constructed and played is inexpensive and simple and capable of being played and enjoyed by children as well as adults.

' I claim as my invention- 1. A bulletin device for visually indicating the results of a baseball game, comprising a board formed with an endless slot ontlining the circuit of the bases, rollers mounted in said slot, a belt adapted for travel in said slot and over said rollers, clips carried by said belt, figure players adapted to be removably and replaceably engaged in said clips, a pinion'carried by one of said rollers, a gear adapted for operative engagement with said pinion, a drum on said gear, a tape adapted to be wound on said drum and adapted for manual draft to cause said belt to travel, a cord adapted to be wound reversely on said drum, and a retractile member attached to said cord and adapted to cause reverse movement of said drum when draft is released from said tape, said retractile member also acting to disengage said gear from said pinion.

2. A bulletin device for visually indicating the results of a baseball game, comprising a board formed with an endless slot outlining the circuit of the bases, rollers mounted in said slot, a belt adapted for travel in said slot and in engagement with said rollers, clips carried by said belt, figure players adapted to be removably and replaceably mounted in said clips, a pinion carried by one of said rollers, a gear mounted for slight oscillation and adapted for operative engagement with said pinion at times, means adapted for manual operation to cause said gear to engage said pinion, a drum fixed to said gear, a tape adapted to be wound in one direction on said drum and adapted for manual draft to rotate said drum and gear in one direction and thereby cause travel of said belt, a cord adapted to be wound in the opposite direction on said drum, and a retractile member attached to said cord and adapted to cause reverse rotation of said drum when draft on said tape is released.

3. In a device for visually indicating the results of a baseball game, a belt, a clip 4. A bulletin device for visually indicat ing the results of a baseball game, comprising a board formed with an endless slot outlining the circuit of the bases, rollers in said slot, a belt adapted for travel in said slot in engagement with said rollers, clips carried by said belt, figure players adapted for engagement in said clips, a pinion carried by one of said rollers, a bracket mounted for oscillation, a gear journaled in said bracket and adapted for operative engagement with said pinion but normally out of such engagement, a member adapted for manual operation to cause such engagement, by

oscillation of said bracket, a drum fixed to said gear, a tape adapted to be wound in one direction on said drum and adapted for manual draft to rotate said drum and gear in one direction and cause travel of said belt, a cord adapted to be wound in the opposite direction on said drum, and a retractile member attached to said cord and adapted to cause reverse rotation of said drum when draft on said tape is released.

Signed at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, this 31st day of July, 1922.

HARRY A. BENEDICT. 

